Following in the frugal footsteps of 15 previous councils, Barnet, Ealing, Hounslow, Kingston, Lewisham and Richmond have all approved cuts-heavy budgets. Here's a roundup, with the numbers coming from the BBC:
Barnet
The Conservative-led council will cut £29.1 million over the next year, frontloading savings of £53.4 million over three years. Barnet Eye has video and criticism of the rambunctious meeting, while Alex Hayes has a more objective and detailed account.
Ealing
Savings of £22.4 million will be made over the next year as part of a three-year plan to drop costs by £55 million. The Labour-ran authority will shed 300 posts, but will also create 119.
Hounslow
The Labour council will cut to the tune of £60 million, but will spread this over four years. In the first year, £146 million will be saved. The cuts will mostly affect grants to voluntary groups, youth services and park maintenance.
Kingston
The Lib-Dem council have a slightly blunter axe, making only (and it's still a big 'only') £13.4 million cuts this year. Still, 200 jobs will go across various departments and the decisions have attracted plenty of protest.
Lewisham
According to the BBC, the cut-leading Labour authority are chopping a whopping £33 million in just one year, with the loss of 343 jobs (10% of employees). Newsshopper has more — and somewhat different figures. Unusually, the council meeting was held during the day time. The move reportedly came at the advice of police, following recent protests.
Richmond
The Tory council agreed to £33 million reduction over four years, again prompting demonstrations.
We've mapped out how the cuts affect each borough.
For those who wish to protest against the cuts, the huge 'March For The Alternative' demonstration will take place in London on 26 March.
Let us know of any photos or reports from the five council meetings and we'll add links to this post.
Image by Gaz-zee-boh in the Londonist Flickr pool.
